Watching the Stars
by Juzu
Summary: Prowl and Jazz were forced to separate when the search for the All Spark was launched. Now, Prowl is keeping his promise and following Prime's message to Earth. He hopes Jazz is waiting for him, but fate might have a different plan for him. Oneshot.


**Author's Note:** This story is set before my other one, Better Late Than Never. This is the event Hound refers to in that one: Jazz and Prowl's reunion. I've re-read it myself several times, but please excuse any mistakes you might still find. I tried to catch all I could. If this seems choppy or whatever, I did this in pieces because I was never able to just sit down and write it and tie it all together until I listened to the song. Please read and enjoy.

**Disclaimer:** Transformers does not belong to me. I'm just entertaining myself with this. The lyrics are from the song "Memories" by Within Temptation, so that's not mine either.

* * *

"You promise?"

"'Course Ah do. Need Ah say it again?" the other nodded. "Fine then. Ah promise, on the light of my spark and the skies above, Ah will always return to ya. Ah will find ya, no matter where Ah'm at."

Prowl smiled, his usually hard features softening. Jazz grinned back at him, visor lighting up brightly. This separation was only temporary. They would find their way back to each other, no matter the challenges, no matter the distance.

"Watch the stars for me."

"Always," Jazz paused, reaching with one hand to caress Prowl's cheek. "Remember meh. When things get tough, remember meh."

"I'll never forget."

****

For vorns they traveled, they searched. The adventure they were on got almost too crazy at times, but they always had each other. When the signal to land came from Bumblebee, they raced to meet him. Stars flew past them as they rocketed towards the new planet. Jazz committed the sight to his memory banks. He was always watching the stars.

****

"It's Megatron! Retreat! Move! Fall back!" Jazz yelled over his shoulder to his allies and the new humans that were fighting alongside them. The sudden arrival of Megatron sent them all into a briefly panicked flight. They really needed the boss bot now, but he was still a ways off. A blast from Megatron's cannon sent them running. Jazz landed on the ground with a crunch, rolled and came up firing his blaster. He could hear Ironhide further back, herding the humans out of the path of danger.

"Is that all you got, Megatron?" the silver Solstice sneered as he faced down his opponent.  
**"**Come here, you little cretin!" the deranged mech snarled. Jazz was aware of his friends yelling at him over the comms to get out of the way of the crazy beast that was advancing on them. He never relented in his struggles as a menacing clawed hand easily took hold of his frame. He still had his favored blaster. With his trademark grin on his faceplates, he opened fire on the much larger mech.  
"You want a piece of me? You want a piece?" he called, taunting and determined tones ringing in his voice. He wasn't going to back down. Not now, not ever. A challenge was never something he could resist. He couldn't help the small, choked squeak from his vocalizer as Megatron pinned him to the rooftop of a tall building with his foot. He was lifted up by his own foot, still firing away with his blaster.

"No, I want TWO!" With that said, the Decepticon leader grabbed him by the arms and legs. The pressure was slow to build up, but then it reached the breaking point all too quickly. He felt the wires snap. He felt the circuits and panels rip. He felt cables and lines sever. He felt the silver armor of his body crack and split. He felt the fragile glass that housed his spark shatter. He felt the air on his exposed spark, felt his life force begin to diminish.

Suddenly, he knew this challenge was too great. He was stretched to the limits of his very being. He knew, without a doubt, that this was his last stand. It saddened him to realize that he would never see the face of his love again, even if he was relieved to die fighting.

He could faintly feel his other half through their strained spark-bond. They were separated by galaxies at the moment, but soon would be divided by life and death. He could only hope that the bond was weak enough that his love wouldn't feel the pain of his death, wouldn't follow him into the darkness. Prowl had better things to do than follow him.

A flash on his visor caught his sinking mind. There, in the far left corner, was a message. It took a moment for the symbols to form words and for his processor to give meaning to those words. It was a command prompt for a program he had never known he had…

With one last pull, his body gave out. His spark fluttered once, twice, a third time…and was gone.

****

Ratchet sighed as he knelt next to the broken frame. His scanners, no matter how advanced they were, picked up no signs of life in the silver torso. He shook his head as he looked up at Ironhide.

"He's gone. There's nothing I can do now."

Ironhide shook his head as he allowed the medic to place the two halves of their fallen brother in his arms. "What about Prowl?"

Again, the CMO shook his head. "I don't know. Jazz never came to me about the stress our separations were putting on his spark. He had ways to deal with it. It's hard for me to tell just how weak their bond is. Prowl is either dead now, or will be. And I have no clue as to how long it will take." If Prowl did survive the death of his bonded, the chances were that once he found out about it, he wouldn't last long.

The weapons specialist held the battered frame tightly as they turned to join their Prime. The sight of Megatron's silent frame at their leader's feet did nothing to alleviate the heavy feeling in their sparks at the loss of Jazz.

****

"_With the All Spark gone, we cannot return life to our planet. And fate has yielded its reward: a new world to call home. We live among its people now, hiding in plain sight, but watching over them in secret, waiting, protecting. I have witnessed their capacity for courage, and though we are worlds apart, like us, there's more to them than meets the eye. I am Optimus Prime, and I send this message to any surviving Autobots taking refuge among the stars. We are here. We are waiting."_

The message had been received, clearer than any message ever heard.

Relief and joy had surged through the ranks faster than a wildfire in a dry forest. Autobots everywhere relayed the message over and over again. If not currently engaged in a mission, they were planning the withdrawal of the forces and the re-location to Earth. More left with each passing orn, their course set for their leader. Area after area was secured from the Decepticons then left, wave after wave of bots joining the flight. The signal relayed further and further into the deep reaches of space.

Ships, both militant and civilian, were turned to the coordinates attached to the message and jammed full of supplies and Cybertronians. Any Decepticon foolish enough to stand in their way was swept aside with more force than some would deem necessary. It would be a while before most of them reached Earth, but the knowledge that they were coming would be enough to hold the others together. A regrouping like this was long overdue.

One mech in particular wasted no time in leaving. Once he was sure Ultra Magnus and Elita-One had things well under their control, or under the appearance of control, he took the first shuttle that was available. He had business to tend to on Earth.

He had a promise to keep.

****

He landed on the organic planet known as Earth during the night, seven others with him. The area of their landing was mostly dirt, sand and ragged looking plants. Optimus Prime had greeted them personally. The Prime had quickly explained the World Wide Web to them and let them browse until they found a suitable alt. mode.

Naturally, the twins had found sleek looking sports cars with lots of power and speed. They took the forms of a Lamborghini Murcielago SV, one sunshine yellow, the other crimson red. Inferno chose a Crimson Aerial fire truck form, matching the much smaller fire rescue Lamborghini Diablo form of his bonded, Red Alert. Hound took a forest green Jeep Gladiator alt. mode. Bluestreak became a dark grey and black Dodge Charger. Skyfire took the large form of a space shuttle. Prowl himself took the form of a white and black police Dodge Charger.

As one unit, they faced their leader and saluted. The serious air only lasted for an astrosecond. Sunstreaker and Sideswipe let out great whoops of joy and tackled the cranky medic, who, despite his grumpy attitude, quickly wrapped his arms around them and held them close. Ratchet truly had a soft spark when it came to the younger twins. Inferno and Ironhide clasped hands, quickly beginning to compare their battle stats for old times' sake. Red Alert stuck next to his bonded, wary of his new surroundings. Skyfire, Bluestreak and Hound greeted Bumblebee, who quickly introduced their human allies, Sam and Mikaela.

Prowl's doorwings swept back, fluttering lightly in his relief to finally be reunited with the All Spark team. He shook hands with Optimus and gave him a brief overview of the situation he and the others had left behind. His summarized report finished, the enforcer looked around, taking note of a certain missing mech.

"Prime, sir. Where is Jazz?" he asked. A hush fell over the other bots, the members of Prime's team bowing their heads. Ratchet gripped the twins harder, his frame quaking. The brothers shared a knowing look and held their medic just as tightly as he held them. Red Alert pressed against Inferno's side, optics closed in silent grief. "Optimus?"

Optimus Prime cycled air from his vents in a sigh. "Prowl…Jazz is dead. He faced Megatron alone in battle to buy our human allies and us time. We won the fight and Megatron was destroyed. Jazz's sacrifice bought us victory and the end of the war."

"I saw him fall," Ironhide stated as he stepped to Prime's side. "He never stopped, never gave in. He will always be a hero. His death was not in vain."

From his place in the shelter of the twins' arms, Ratchet took his turn to speak. "We told him to stay back, told him to wait for us. But you know Jazz. Patience wasn't his strong point; he had so much life in him. Megatron tore him in half. He was gone before I reached him," he buried his face into Suntreaker's neck, hating the bluntness of his words, but knowing Prowl would hear it no other way. "I repaired what I could. His frame is in my med bay back at base."

Prowl's frame became very still, the whirrs of his systems becoming quiet whispers in the night. His doorwings stood in a high 'V' on his shoulders, quivering slightly with tension. He took one step back, optics still locked on those of his commander. His white hands clenched into fists at his sides as a shudder ran through his frame.

Ratchet stumbled with his sudden release. Sunstreaker and Sideswipe pinned Prowl between them, taking the weight of the other mech with ease. Tremors ran through the white and black bot, making the metal seem to vibrate. A cry sliced through the night, shattering the quiet and cutting all who heard and witnessed it's release to the spark or heart.

The cries continued, gaining in strength and pain as Prowl's spark reached out for its other half only to receive no answer. He began to thrash, hitting and kicking the two mechs holding on to him. The frontline warriors held on as best they could without hurting the bot between them, despite getting fists slammed into their helms and their feet stamped on. For several long moments, the tactician fought against them, his movements becoming more and more frenzied.

Suddenly the white and black frame began to spasm. Joints locked as the thrashing became more erratic. Static choked off the cries from his vocalizer. Sparks jumped from his body, leaving burn marks on the faces and armor of the twins.

"Ratchet! Do something!" Sideswipe yelled as his brother growled.

The medic came closer, a sedative in the syringe he held. "Hold him still! I need a main energon line."

Suspending the mech as best they could, they gave Ratchet the opening he needed to inject the sedative into Prowl's fuel lines. The bot struggled and seized for a few minutes more before it took effect and he slumped, going offline. The twins gently lowered him to the ground, mindful of his head and sensitive doorwings. Ratchet did a quick scan and nodded to their Prime when the results displayed no lasting damage to the CPU and other systems of the unconscious mech.

Optimus sighed. "Autobots, transform and roll out."

Gathering Prowl up and placing him on a trailer that their leader would pull, the bots changed to their alt. modes and headed for their new home. The night returned to its peaceful quiet, only broken by the sound of fading engines.

****

Two days later he stared at the silent silver frame from his position atop a berth in the med bay. Prime had spoken to him briefly after his awakening, informing the tactician that they would be having a remembrance and sending ceremony for their fallen comrade. Prowl rose from the berth and crossed the bay to stand at the side of his bonded, a prayer to Primus muttered quietly as he moved.

"_Remember meh. When things get tough, remember meh."_

**In this world you tried  
not leaving me alone behind.  
There's no other way.  
I prayed to the gods let him stay.**  
**The memories ease the pain inside,  
now I know why.**

He gripped the edge of the metal berth with strong white hands. In his CPU, memories of their time together played. The night of their bonding, the day of their first meeting, days of working and fighting side by side. Days of endless work and meetings, missions and battles. Nights of planning and being thankful they had survived for the next day. Nights of waiting beside the other in the med bay, wondering if this was the end.

Jazz…

"_Remember meh, Prowler…"_

Images paraded before his optics, images of a mech so full of life and energy no one could resist him, but also full of deadly skills. A spy. A saboteur. A mech no one could tame or break or compete with. A mech so far ahead of anyone else that no other could out think him…

Until he crashed into Prowl.

The Charger smiled, remembering the look on Jazz's faceplates during that first meeting. The bot had been stunned at Prowl's cold, calculating ways and had made it a personal mission to unfreeze the ice hard wall that surrounded him. It had taken him vorns, but the results were very pleasing to all who were around Prowl. Jazz never failed at a mission.

**All of my memories keep you near.  
In silent moments imagine you here.  
All of my memories keep you near.  
Your silent whispers, silent tears. **

He traced an elegant finger along the edge of the darkened visor, drawing a line down across a cheek and following the jaw. He traced the path back up, moving to caress the sharp audio horns that decorated the helm. This new form was truly fitting for the nature of the mech who once used it. It was both graceful and deadly looking. He only wished he could have seen it with the life it used to hold.

**Made me promise I'd try  
to find my way back in this life.  
I hope there is a way  
to give me a sign you're ok.  
**

His spark pulsed weakly, still trying to call to the other half. But there was never an answer. There was just a gaping, black hole where the light of Jazz's spark used to be.

The look on the fallen mech's faceplates was peaceful, despite the pain racing through his bonded.

**Reminds me again it's worth it all  
so I can go on. **

As images of the past continued their march around his CPU, a message flashed across his optics. Curious, he focused on the small glyphs, trying to make out what they said.

"Activate Program: Spark Restore?" he spoke aloud, puzzled by this message. He did a quick self-diagnostic, frowning when the results returned with everything in the clear. He commed Ratchet, asking him to see him in the med bay.

Once the medic arrived from his break, Prowl told him of the program. Ratchet had never heard of it. He wasn't really for it, but the med bay was the safest place to try it out. He activated the program. After almost an hour of waiting and scanning, nothing had happened. Ratchet shrugged it off, simply telling Prowl to report back if anything did happen.

**All of my memories keep you near.  
In silent moments imagine you here.  
All of my memories keep you near.  
Your silent whispers, silent tears. **

Five days later, all of the bots were gathered outside of the base. Today they would say their final good-byes to Jazz. They all spoke a few words in remembrance of their dear friend. Prowl stayed silent, not trusting himself to speak just yet. In the past few days, memories of their long life together kept playing, like a song stuck on repeat. A pressure was building around his spark, sending heat throughout his frame.

**Together in all these memories  
I see your smile.  
All the memories I hold dear.  
Darling, you know I love you  
till the end of time. **

When everyone else was finished speaking, Prowl stepped forward. He stood at Jazz's side, simply staring at the empty frame. After releasing a long sigh, his gently lifted one of the clawed hands.

"Jazz…" he paused for just a moment, and then the flood gates opened. He spoke of everything he could think of, reliving his memories one last time. He spoke of his excitement upon getting Prime's message, his nervousness at seeing Jazz again, his pain when he realized he would never see his beloved again in life. During his talking, his free hand drifted to rest over his spark. The pressure was building and becoming uncomfortable. His cooling fans kicked in to try and disperse some of the heat.

His voice finally trailed off. He hadn't spoken that much to any one in a very long time. But now it was time. His last good-bye to the most precious thing in his life.

He released Jazz's hand, placing his hand over the empty spark case. "I will never forget you. Your memory will live through me, within me, for as long as I continue to live. My love, my Jazz." He bent down and pressed his forehead to Jazz's one last time.

He spark seemed to burst when he tried to straighten and step back. It pulsed wildly, sending waves out to where its partner should have been. Prowl moaned, his metal body locking in place, refusing to obey the commands of his CPU. He could hear Ratchet yelling at him, just barely, over the whining of his systems. His vision blurred, fading in and out, along with his awareness of everything around him.

Except for the darkened visor.

Stars were glittering in the glass that protected the optics only a rare few had ever seen. The moonlight was giving the silver armor an eerie glow. The face looked alive…too alive for its current state.

Pain seared over his circuits. His spark contracted sharply before sending out another hard pulse. Something within his spark twisted, a sharper pain flaring to life. Hands were clawing at his white and black armor, desperate in their attempt to hold him in place. Light spilled from his frame, blinding the others and forcing them to stay back. He cried out when his spark gave one last, long pulse, the light pulsing with it.

The brightness slowly faded away. Prowl's optics re-adjusted to the nighttime darkness. A soft blue glow bathed his face, casting shadows on the overheated metal. He just stared for a number of moments, not quite comprehending the images his optics were sending him.

The stars were still reflected in the glass, but the light that shown from it was only slightly dimmer. The visor was lit, reflecting back off of the red chevron.

"Jazz?" he whispered.

A small, crooked smirk. "Prowler…ya remembered meh…"

"…I promised I would never forget…"

The helm shifted a bit, looking past the face so close to it. "The stars sure are pretty behind ya like this…"

Reality crashed around them before Prowl could form a reply. Ratchet was pushing him away, cursing and scanning with every scanner he had on his frame. The others crowded around, trying to see if what they had just witness was true. Prime stood back, a small smile on his face and a knowing gleam in his deep blue optics.

There was a whisper in his spark. "_Ah promised…Ah'd find ya again…"_

The bond flared to life, memories of their separation flowing between them. Feelings neither had felt in a million years and more were brought back to life, stronger than they had ever felt.

**All of my memories keep you near.  
In silent moments imagine you here.  
All of my memories keep you near.  
Your silent whispers, silent tears. **

Jazz was alive. Ratchet confirmed it, grumbling about impossibilities and little glitches that didn't know how to die. Jazz devoured the attention everyone gave to him. Prowl stood next to him throughout it all, never failing as Jazz's strength returned. They talked with Ratchet and Prime one afternoon, mentioning the unknown program both had seen and activated. Prime had nodded, a knowing look on his faceplates. Ratchet had then left them, chasing Prime around the base for the answers he knew Optimus carried.

"When the program activated, what did you see?" Jazz asked in the quiet of their quarters later.

Prowl wrapped his arms around him and smiled, his usually hard features softening. "All of my memories…"

**All of my memories…**

* * *

**A/N: **Thanks for reading! Please leave a review and tell me what you think! ~Juzu


End file.
